


Sacrifice

by Cat_Moon



Series: Half Breed [4]
Category: Moonlight (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-31
Updated: 2013-08-31
Packaged: 2017-12-25 05:09:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/948989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cat_Moon/pseuds/Cat_Moon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Destiny continues to play out its hand in the lives of Mick and Beth. Yet more is revealed, a few things are resolved...once and for all. Beth's turn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

> This is a part of the series, "Half Breed." As such, it's a good idea to read them in order. One follows from the other in what happens; they aren't stand-alone stories and you may not understand what's going on if you read out of order.

_Twenty four hours can change your life._

_We humans may not have the gift of immortality but we tend to act as if we do, denying our ultimate demise as strongly as Mick tried to deny his attraction to me. And about as futile. We resent change, even though it usually comes to us slowly, the inexorable pulse of time counting down the seconds. So slowly we often don't even notice. That's the way we like it. We deny that life can change in an instant. One blink of an eye between everything you knew, and alien territory._

_And then you blink._

XXX

Beth critically sniffed at the pits of her blouse to determine its wearability. She decided it would be necessary to raid Mick's closet instead for another shirt to borrow. She checked the pants too; she was definitely going to need to stop at her apartment to change before going to work. No matter what was going on in her personal life, the job still had to be done. If she called in sick two days in a row, Mo would undoubtedly send the paramedics to her place, convinced she was dying. That made her smile, remembering why she hadn't made it to work yesterday.

_Had a better offer._

Humming absently, she finished dressing and headed downstairs for coffee and cold, leftover pizza. When she'd gotten slightly light-headed the previous evening, they'd both remember how long it had been since she'd eaten anything and Mick had promptly ordered some delivery. She puttered around the kitchen contentedly, finding she really enjoyed being in Mick's quiet apartment in the early hours by herself, knowing he was just upstairs getting his beauty sleep in the freezer. She'd never been a fan of excessive cuddling in bed anyway. Didn't matter – the two of them were so connected now that she didn't need for him to be in the same room, she carried him inside of her, a part of her as if no physical space separated them.

Her thoughts couldn't help returning again to their lovemaking. Poor Mick. She smiled, remembering the look on his face when he'd thought she was going to go down on him. No matter how he portrayed an image of hip, modern vampire, he was still very much a product of his era. In his day relationships were much more black and white. There were "good" girls, and "bad" girls. The good girls you treated like a lady, and the bad ones you had fun with. She understood that... but she was going to enjoy loosening his inhibitions. His respect was endearing, but he was going to have to accept her as a mature woman, not some 'pure' damsel. To be fair though, by the end of the long night, he'd already shed quite a few of those pesky things – she'd never look at the kitchen counter in the same way again. And if she even thought about the shower, she probably wouldn't make it to work today…

She gulped the last of her coffee, and put the note she'd written for him on the counter where he'd see it.

Mick – 

I've gone to work, so Maureen won't send out a search party. DON'T WORRY! Coraline doesn't know we know. I'll be fine. You can come by when you get up if you want.

Forever, Beth

 

XXX

 

The story she was working on was interesting enough, but Beth found herself too distracted to give it the attention it deserved. It would be one thing if it was thoughts of being with Mick intruding, but her mind kept unwillingly going back to the problem of Coraline.

_What is her ultimate purpose here? And how do we stop her?_

_She wants Mick._

"Tell me something I don't know," she mentally answered the Voice, crossly. If it wasn't going to come up with constructive comments, she didn't need to hear the obvious.

_She's human now. He won't be able to hurt her if he has to._

Well, that was a disturbing thought. Be careful what you wish for, she supposed. She ruthlessly shoved the Voice back down and decided to handle this one without influence. How to get rid of Coraline. Truth be told, she was afraid to ask the Voice that question.

It wasn't like they could have her arrested for the kidnapping. She wasn't a vampire any longer, so a well placed stake and a trip to the incinerator wasn't a viable option, either… And somehow, Beth didn't think reasoning with her would be productive: "Listen, Coraline, Mick and I are in love with each other now, and he doesn't want you anymore, so you can just find some other vamp's head to play with…" Nope, wouldn't work. Unfortunately, the only reasonable option she could come up with was watch and wait, go along with her ruse and be alert for her move, whatever it was and whenever it came.

Beth had never had to live like that before. Growing up, she never felt the need to be always looking over her shoulder, she'd felt safe and protected.

She wasn't about to start living like that now.

"I'm going to lunch," she told Maureen, as she grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

 

XXX

 

Josef heaved a put upon sigh when he saw her, but allowed Beth into his office. "I'm never going to get rid of the two of you now, am I?" he inquired.

"I think you secretly love us," she answered back. His gaze moved off and she followed it to where a beautiful young woman stood waiting by the desk.

"You interrupted my lunch," he told her bluntly.

She knew he was doing it to bait her. Shock her. Earning Josef's respect and trust wasn't going to be as easy as it had with Mick, but she was up for the challenge. "Eating at your desk? Tsk tsk," she returned. "You'll get indigestion. But don't let me interrupt you…"

For just a moment, she thought he was going to call her bluff and go to the woman. Instead, he gestured to the chairs at the conference table, and they both sat down.

"Okay, Ms. Turner, why have you ventured into my territory to see me, without your shadow?"

"I have a few questions I need to ask you, that I couldn't in front of him," she finished meaningfully.

"I admit to being slightly intrigued. Ask."

Her gaze flicked to the woman.

"It's okay, she's deaf." Beth's eyebrows rose. "Hey, I'm not prejudice against the handicapped, I'm an equal opportunity employer," he defended. "I even learned sign language."

"Is that what they are?" she asked, momentarily distracted from the point of her visit. "Employees?"

"Depends," he answered honestly. "Some are just into the whole experience of being with a vampire, the sensual rush they get from it. Others like to be…compensated."

"So let me get this straight, you've got this whole… harem of donors who know what you are and give you their blood, but you're afraid Mick and I might accidentally reveal our secret?"

_Our. It's our secret now. This is my world now, too._

"Believe me, they have a vested interest in being discreet."

"You know what I think? I think you're a control freak, and anything you can't control you don't trust."

"Sounds about right," Josef agreed mildly. "And I don't think anyone can control you. Especially Mick."

 _Hmm, that was frosty._ Seemed like Josef had been a little friendlier towards her at Mick's yesterday. Maybe hunger makes vampires irritable too. She wasn't so fearless and rash that the thought didn't bring some warranted discomfort.

"Okay, I'll make this quick so you can get back to your lunch. First question: When Coraline kidnapped me, Mick staked her and set the cabin on fire because she was an evil vampire who deserved to be destroyed. What happens if Coraline the human confronts him?"

"Mick thinks humans are sacred, especially women. I've seen him kill men when it needed to be done, but a woman? In my opinion, he could never kill her if she's human. No matter what."

"So she can do anything she wants," Beth said, mostly to herself. She had been secretly hoping for a different answer, not confirmation of what the Voice had already told her.

Josef leaned forward. "I don't have the answers you need; I only have guesses and opinions to offer you. Given what we've learned, I think she plans to come between you and Mick, cause a rift there."

Beth snorted. "Like that would ever work."

He continued. "After that, insinuate herself into his good graces again. You know he used to be addicted to her. She'd crook her little finger and his little head would come running. She expects the same reaction this time, too. Then she kills you to get your blood, and offers him up the cure. It would be a kind of poetic justice for her, wouldn't it? She kidnapped you when you were young to lure Mick back and be a family together – the one thing she knew he hated her the most for taking away from him. Now she's going to take you for the cure so they both can be human together. Again, a thing he hated her for robbing him of. Same song, different lyrics."

She laughed, a bit weakly. "How about advice then?"

"I don't have any to give you that you'd take. I'm afraid we live in different moral neighborhoods. But you might want to start carrying a gun, for self defense if you need it. Don't rely on Mick this time."

"That's harsh."

Josef shook his head. "Don't get me wrong. I love Mick, but that means knowing his faults and weaknesses and accepting them. Just like he accepts mine. And if you tell him I said that, I'll deny it, and he'll never believe you," he warned.

Josef was quite a strange vampire, Beth decided. One minute he was cool and distrusting of her, the next he was uncharacteristically sharing something personal with her.

"Next question."

He made a show of glancing at his watch. "Your time's almost up. Unless you'd like to stay for lunch…"

"I would, but I don't think you want a jealous Mick after your ass," she replied. "I was just kinda wondering about something, and since obviously you know more about vampires than I do, and you've lived a lot longer than Mick... "She stammered, "Can half breeds been turned, just like regular humans?"

"Ah, _the_ question. I don't see any reason why not. Except for one thing," he didn't even pretend not to understand why she was asking.

"What's that?"

"Mick has a thing, and I mean a big thing about the issue of siring. He wouldn't turn his worst enemy."

She digested that statement for a few moments. It wasn't like the answer was a shock, she could have guessed, given his frequent 'monster' comments. She was hoping though, that with his growing acceptance of himself, his feelings about that would change as well.

_And when the hell did I go from "I don't want that," to this casual discussion with Josef about my future turning?! And this feeling of disappointment…_

"If Mick won't, would you turn me, whe—if the time came?"

Josef's eyes widened, and he whistled. He sat back in his chair. "Wow. I didn't expect that. And not much shocks me after all these years. I'm honored that you would ask me," he told her sincerely.

"Is that a yes or a no?"

He rose and held out his hand for her to do so too. When they were both standing, he kissed the back of her hand. "I'd be honored to be your sire, m'lady. But you've got awhile yet before you have to think about making any decisions like that."

 _Maybe,_ she thought. Then again, you never knew what might happen at any time. She knew how things could change in the blink of an eye.

"One last thing," she added, having been maneuvered to the door. "Do you have any good…lawyers on your payroll; I'm thinking I'd like to draw up a living will. You know, just for a precaution."

_Yeah, in the event of my impending death – TURN ME!_

Bottom line she had to finally admit to herself: she had no intention of losing Mick now. Or giving him up at any point in the future. And she certainly wasn't about to let him suffer the pain of living through the centuries without her.

 _Centuries…_ she couldn't deny the thrill of excitement that thought gave her. What must it be like? To see so much, experience so much? She shook off the daydreaming, and focused again on Josef, whose eyes were twinkling at her.

"I think I know someone who could do that for you. I'll make the arrangements."

"Thank you."

She left Josef's office thinking she had finally – maybe – won him over.

 

XXX

 

_It's funny how things change when you find the love of your life. The sheer depth of it leaves you breathless, and you're amazed at all the things you'll do that you'd never even consider before. His smile lights up the world for you, and you drown in his eyes when they look at you. Mick asked me if I'd ever had an intense affair, the kind the burns you up; but the real thing is so much deeper than that. It doesn't burn you up; it brings you more alive than you've ever been before. It's knowing you'd do anything to protect it now that you've found it. You do whatever it takes, do what you have to do to care for the man you love. He loves you, and he has been placed in your trust for safekeeping. You take that more seriously than anything else in your life. It's fierce, and it's an instinct you cannot deny. When that little voice inside you calls, you answer. No regrets._

_The true measure of courage is doing what has to be done. The true measure of strength is not letting it destroy you._

 

Beth stood outside the door nervously, steeling herself to follow through with the decision she'd made over lunch. She wasn't having second thoughts, but needed a moment to psych herself up to go through with the game plan. If it didn't go as planned… she shrugged off the pessimistic thought. She'd trusted her instincts and so far they hadn't led her astray. Somehow, some way, she seemed to be plugged in to the plan of the Universe, and it was lighting up the path for her to follow, clearly marked with signposts, and sometimes, neon billboards. It was so obvious, when you opened yourself up and let yourself trust in something bigger than you. Scary, but a little Voice told her to just simply trust.

This was either the smartest thing she'd ever done – or the stupidest. Only one way to find out…

She knocked on the door, and a few heartbeats later, it opened.

"Hello, Coraline."

The face of the woman in front of her registered surprise, before it was hastily – and not quite effectively – covered up. Truth be told, Beth had surprised herself. She had planned on going along with the pretense for at least a few minutes, but this opportunity was too good to pass up.

_Beth: 1_

_Coraline: 0_

_Who knew the Voice had a sense of humor?_

"I guess you weren't expecting to see me."

Coraline/Morgan looked past Beth into the hallway. "Where's Mick?" she asked in a sickly sweet voice that made Beth want to throw up.

Where you're not going to get your hands on him, you bitch. "We need to have a little talk," she answered, moving past Coraline into the loft.

"Beth, I wasn't expecting you. But you know what they say, plans are made to be changed."

"Yes, they are," Beth agreed. "I've just changed yours."

Coraline sighed wistfully. "Okay, I'll play your little game for now. How did you find out?"

"You're dying to know, aren't you? How'd I find out? Does Mick know? Where is he?"

Coraline assumed a bored air, flopping down in the chair by her computer. "If you say so. "

"How'd you get the cure, huh? Did you kill Morgan to get it? And now you plan to kill me, so you can give it to Mick?"

"You have everything figured out, don't you, little one? So smart, yet so stupid."

Well, maybe it wasn't a wise move, but she had so much to say to this woman, and now that she had the chance she wasn't going to let it go. "You pretend to love Mick, but you have no idea what love really is. You took a wonderful, loving man and almost destroyed him. You robbed him of the life he could have had. Then when he wouldn't stay under your thumb you kidnapped and terrorized an innocent child for your sick games."

"Terrorized? I treated you like my own little girl!" Coraline defended herself. "It could have been so beautiful, you would have seen. We could have been a family, just the three of us, forever. You would have had the gift of eternal childhood."

"You really are insane."

"I gave Mick the most precious gift of all on our wedding night – eternal love. We were supposed to be together forever! If you love him you understand that! Then he threw it back in my face again!" Tears glittered at the corners of her eyes.

"The gift of choice would have been more appropriate."

"But how could anyone turn down eternal love?" she asked, sounding confused. "I couldn't make him understand. I thought if I could just show him – we could still have a family. Just like humans, only better, of course. But the bastard threw that gift in my face too, and tried to kill me! I'm pretty pissed off at him for that. But I can forgive him… eventually."

Beth smiled, a cold calculating smile that felt alien on her face. Certainty settled in her bones, and everything clicked into place. She had the words she was looking for. "Well, guess what? You'll never have him," she sneered. "I'm the one he's in love with, not you. He's sleeping right now, exhausted because we made love all night long. I will be the one to spend your precious gift of eternity with Mick. Not you."

Coraline's eyes hardened, the pleasant pretense fading at Beth's words.

"And I have you to thank -- for introducing us."

With a shriek, Coraline threw herself at Beth, clawing at her throat. Whether she had forgotten she was no longer a vampire, or just wanted to rip Beth's throat out was unclear. Beth twisted out of her grasp and they both crashed into a table, sending the lamp on it to the floor. Coraline quickly recovered, and wrenching herself away from Beth, she scrambled over to the desk. Fumbling in the drawer, she pulled out a gun and pointed it at Beth before she could get to her.

Coraline pushed the hair out of her face impatiently, but her voice had again returned to its innocent sweetness. "It's such a shame it had to turn out this way. Poor Beth, she was so jealous of Morgan's budding relationship with Mick, she came over in a rage. I had to kill her in self defense. I feel so bad about that!"

_Wait for it. Be ready._

Beth didn't have to be told twice. She held absolutely still and silent, heart pounding in her ears, staring at the black metal in the other woman's hand. Time stood still, as they stared at each other, and Beth waited.

Suddenly, the shrill whistle of a tea kettle broke the tense silence. It startled Coraline into turning her head toward the sound.

Beth jumped her, grabbing for the gun.

"No!" Coraline screamed, fighting to keep her hold on the weapon.

They struggled over the gun, two hands wrapped around it. Coraline's the strength of insanity; Beth's the strength born of great love. After a few seconds that seemed like years, another loud sound shattered the air, and a life as well. The sound of a single gunshot, finding its mark with unerring and deadly perfection.

The only sound besides the insistent kettle for several long moments was harsh breathing. Eventually, the woman rose unsteadily to her feet, looking down at the lifeless body before her.

_Beth: 2_

_Coraline: 0_

"I win," Beth said, then went to turn off that annoying whistle.

And call the police.

 

XXX

 

Beth rubbed her eyes; they felt like they were loaded with sand. It had been a long day, and it showed no signs of ending yet. She was sitting on an uncomfortable bench in the police station, waiting to be questioned about the shooting. Carl was conferring with another officer about the details at the scene.

"Listen, Carl," she interrupted, "do you mind if I make a quick phone call?"

He gave her a disapproving look. "Beth, you haven't been arrested, we're just questioning you."

She gave a brittle laugh. "What, only those arrested have the right to make a phone call?"

"Go ahead." He turned back to his conversation.

She pulled out her cell phone, and hit the speed dial for the number she'd just recently programmed in. After a couple of rings, she heard his voice on the other end.

"Hello," he said, voice sounding guarded.

She'd heard of paranoia, but Josef had the market cornered. "It's me. I ah, I'm just calling because I don't want to _worry_ anybody," she stressed the word, hoping she could get her hidden message across without being too obvious about it. "I'm fine, but there's been an… incident and I'm at the police station being questioned."

"What have you got yourself into this time, Lucy?"

"Yeah, well, I was working on this story for Buzz Wire, about a woman who was impersonating someone else. I decided to go and talk to her to see if I could find out anything, and she attacked me. So I had to kill her – it was self defense, but well, you know, the police have a lot of questions for me."

"I would imagine," Josef responded dryly, sounding slightly amused, and was that approval?

"So I just called so no one would worry, you know, when they didn't hear from me yet." She hoped he understood, she needed him to go and sit on Mick for the duration. She'd already been out of touch long enough that he was bound to be worrying, if he wasn't already looking for her. She didn't dare call him herself, he'd know the instant he heard her voice that something was wrong, no matter how good she was at disguising it.

"You want me to do damage control."

"Exactly," she said, relieved he got it.

"Sit tight, I'll take care of everything. Be careful what you tell them."

"Great, thanks, because I didn't want any panic to set it." The last thing she wanted was Mick, bursting into the police station in a frenzy. She wanted him kept as far away from this mess as she could, to protect him. They didn't need him getting involved at this point and drawing unwanted attention.

"You owe me now," Josef informed her.

"We'll do lunch," she responded.

The last thing she heard before he terminated the call was his laughter.

The interrogation room reeked of stale cigarette smoke, making her eyes burn and her throat hurt, and the coffee was lukewarm and weak. Beth was feeling slightly nauseas as she faced Carl across the table. When she'd called the police from Morgan's she'd asked for him specifically, and he'd been the officer on the scene. She felt more comfortable with him than with some possibly hostile stranger, even if he did like giving her a hard time on occasion.

"You say this woman was impersonating Morgan Vincent. How do you know that?"

"A source who knew it wasn't the real Morgan told me."

"Who?"

"C'mon, Carl, you know I can't reveal my sources. This person wants to remain anonymous."

"Okay. No, not really but we'll come back to that. What were you doing there in the first place?"

"Probably not one of my better ideas," she admitted. "But I wasn't getting anywhere with my investigation. I wanted to talk to her, see if I could get to the truth. When she realized I was onto her, she attacked me. Obviously she didn't want her secret out. We fought, she went and grabbed a gun out of the desk drawer and pointed it at me. Then the tea kettle went off, and it distracted her. I was able to grab onto the gun, we struggled over it, and it went off. "

Carl looked through the file folder in front of him. "Well, that part of your story checks out, there were signs of a struggle and the kettle was still warm. The gun is registered to Morgan Vincent. We're running her prints now; maybe we'll get a match if this woman had a record. We've faxed a photo of the dead woman to the police in Chicago. They'll show it to the parents. Simple enough to verify your story; if they say it's not their daughter you're probably in the clear. If it is…"

"It's not."

There was a knock on the door, and an officer stuck his head in, whispered something in Carl's ear. He looked at Beth sharply.

"Your lawyer's here."

"Oh," she said, not knowing what else to say. "He is?" Josef, she realized, must have sent someone.

"Do you really think you need a lawyer? Let me repeat, you haven't been arrested."

"Look, this is a serious situation, so maybe it's a good idea for me to have counsel. Just as a precaution."

Carl turned back to the officer. "Send him in."

A moment later Beth was face to face with a man she hadn't seen in over twenty years.

Her father.

She stared, trying not to be obvious about it, or let the shock she felt show on her face. Funny how time plays tricks with the memory, until this very moment she hadn't remembered that her dad was a lawyer.

"I'm Aldo Tillerman," he was introducing himself to Carl. "Ms. Turner's legal counsel."

"Yeah, well, this is just a questioning, counselor," Carl told him. "No one's been charged with anything."

"Yet?" he interjected. Beth watched him walk towards her in slow motion, fleeting glimpses of old memories flashing across her mind. His walk was familiar, almost a glide, confident and easy. She looked at his hands, and remembered them lifting her up into his arms.

_"There's my Bethy, how's daddy's little girl tonight?"_

"Huh?" she snapped back to the present, suddenly aware that she hadn't been there for a few moments and not sure what she'd missed.

He was next to her now. He touched her shoulder gently. "How are you holding up?" he asked, and she remember the voice too, as if it was yesterday.

"Fine," she said, but it wasn't true anymore. Of all the things that had happened to her in the past 48 hours, it took seeing him again to unravel her.

Aldo took the chair next to her. "Now then, go ahead and continue with your questioning as if I'm not here, Lt. Davis."

"I bet," Carl muttered, but picked up where he'd left off. Beth tried very hard to concentrate on the sound of her friend's voice and not the presence of the man sitting beside her.

_Daddy's a vampire._

_I'm in love with a vampire._

_I'm half vampire._

_Vampires exist._

"Beth!" Carl called her, apparently she hadn't responded to his question.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"You said you were running an investigation. Do you have proof of that?"

"Sure, on my computer at Buzz Wire. And I called the Vincents." She shrugged, acting embarrassed. "I pretended to be from the Wildcat alumni board."

Carl jotted down a note on the pad in front of him. "That's easy enough to verify, we'll have the CPD ask them. Here's the million dollar question, why would someone want to impersonate Morgan?"

"I have no idea," Beth told him. "I kind of got the idea this woman was mentally unbalanced – but that's just a personal impression."

"I think that should be about enough for today, don't you detective? Ms. Turner has cooperated fully and answered your questions. The only thing left to do now is to wait for you to verify her facts."

 _How nice that my father should come all this way after twenty years to defend me._ She had the conflicting desires to throw herself into his arms for comfort, and slap him across the face for leaving her.

"Go ahead, get out of here," Carl told her. "We'll be in touch."

She and Aldo stood up to leave.

And as if the Universe wasn't quite through with her tonight, the door chose that moment to burst open, spilling Josh into the room. Her boyfriend. The other one. You know, not the one she'd just killed for.

"Beth! What the hell is going on?!"

 _Isn't this just perfect,_ she thought. "I thought you were out of town," she said.

"I just got back. They told me you were here being questioned about a murder."

"Self defense," daddy the lawyer interjected.

"Who's this?" Josh demanded, looking at the man who'd spoken up.

"My lawyer," Beth told him, feeling a hysterical giggle threatening to erupt.

"Your lawyer. Since when? Do you know that that D.A. is in the process of deciding whether to charge you with murder?"

"Don't you think Beth has been through enough for one day, without your harassing her?" Aldo told him in a warning tone.

"I want to go home," Beth murmured plaintively. She desperately needed to feel Mick's arms around her. Missed him suddenly with an ache that made it feel like years since she'd seen him instead of a few hours.

Josh sighed. "C'mon, I'll take you home."

Alarm blossomed at his words. "No!" He looked at her questioningly, startled by her reaction. "I uh, I just need to be alone right now."

Obviously it sounded as odd to him as it did to her, if his expression was any indication. He nodded. "Okay, I'll drop you off, then I'll come back later and check on you."

That wasn't going to work either. She felt Aldo's gaze on her, as if he too were waiting to see what she would do. Did he know about her and Mick?

She hadn't expected to have to do this right now, after the day from hell, but there was no other choice. "Can Josh and I have a few minutes alone?" she asked the two men.

Carl shrugged, and gathered his files to leave. "Sure."

Aldo briefly touched her shoulder. She was proud for not flinching – or grabbing onto his hand. "I'll be outside."

Then they were alone, and Josh was looking at her expectantly. "What's going on here, Beth? I'm out of town for a few weeks, and I come home to… what? What have you gotten yourself involved in now?"

"Don't worry about it," she told him. "There's something I need to tell you. I never wanted to do it this way, here, but I don't have a choice. I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"It's over."

"What's over?" he asked. She wondered if he were being purposely dense.

"Us. I can't see you anymore. I know it sucks to just throw it on you like this, and I know I'm a rotten person, and you really, really, deserve better."

"It's him, isn't it?"

She briefly closed her eyes, swaying a bit on her feet. She didn't want to involve Mick in this either, especially considering Josh's hostility towards him, but wasn't sure how to avoid it. Josh wasn't stupid, and it was so obvious even strangers noticed.

"I'm sorry."

"You've changed since you got involved with him, Beth. And not for the better. I wish you could see that. I'm worried about you."

"If you're honest with yourself, you know our relationship has been strained for awhile now. We were drifting apart long before…" Mick. "We want different things out of life. You wanted the whole white-picket fence, family thing; I want my career and a Pulitzer. I know that somewhere out there, the perfect woman for you is waiting. I wouldn't want you to miss out on her because of me. I can't be that woman for you, Josh. And you know it."

He looked at her for long moments. "We had a good thing together."

"For awhile," she agreed. "But not anymore."

"I hope you don't regret this," he warned. "St. John is bad news."

"No," she denied. "I think it's me. Goodbye Josh." She walked out the door without looking back.

Once in the corridor, the nausea that had been threatening hit with a vengeance. She waved away Aldo's "are you all right?" and dashed for the ladies room.

After tossing up the vile coffee, Beth rinsed out her mouth and splashed some cold water on her face. Feeling marginally more human, she steeled herself and went back to Aldo.

"I'll take you home," was all he said to her. She nodded. As they were walking, he took his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

"Nice car," she commented for something to say, when they were inside his Lexus and headed away from the PD. Shivering a little with reaction, she pulled the coat a bit tighter around her. Her father's coat. It smelled like him. She felt tears prickled behind her eyelids, and fought them.

"It's a rental. I'll take you to your apartment first; you probably want to pick up a change of clothes and things."

She nodded, but kept her gaze on the passing city streets.

XXX

At her apartment, Beth headed straight for the bedroom and randomly began shoving things into a bag, wanting to get it over with as soon as possible so she could get back to Mick. It was Aldo who suggested she also bring some food with her, and boxed some staples up for her.

She hesitated just once. As they were leaving and she was pulling the door shut, she was suddenly hit by an overwhelming feeling of ending. As if she was leaving for the last time. It wasn't her, though, but that other woman who had lived here. Life had changed forever, and the woman who'd last slept in that bed, the one who'd eaten a hurried breakfast with Josh before work, brushed her teeth in the bathroom, and spent evenings working on her laptop in bed with the TV on in the background, was gone. Nothing would ever be the same again. It was an odd feeling of loss, but there was no regret or sadness. She was merely marking the end of one lifetime, and the beginning of another.

An eternity with Mick.

She smiled, and locked the door.

 

XXX

 

Then finally, finally, they were at Mick's apartment. The door opened before she'd even reached it, and she stepped inside, dropping her bag by the door. Mick was just standing up from the chair. "What happened? Are you okay?!" he asked, worry straining his features.

_Now that's how a boyfriend is supposed to act when you've just been through hell._

She walked into his open arms, and they closed tightly around her. "Beth, I was so worried…" he told her, just holding on. Exactly what she needed.

After a few moments, she felt him lift his head. "Hi, dad," he greeted someone. Couldn't be her father, could it?? She lifted her own head, to gaze up at Mick. "Dad?"

"Don't ask." He grinned, and kissed her.

"I believe it's time for us to take our leave, J," Aldo announced, setting the box of groceries on the floor. "I'll call you tomorrow, Bethy, or you can call me… if you want to talk…. Or anything. Whenever you're ready."

She took pity on him, finding it easier to face things now that she was in Mick's embrace. "I will," she said. "We have a lot of talking to do."

Josef jumped up out of the chair he'd been sitting in. "Good. You don't know what I've just been through with him. Let's get the hell out of here. I just had to babysit Mick for her, and it wasn't a pretty sight."

Beth touched his arm as he passed them on his way to the door. "Thank you," she told him quietly.

"What can I say? Turns out we live in the same neighborhood after all." He winked at her, and then slung an arm around Aldo's shoulders. "C'mon, I'll buy you a pint, of A negative."

"What was that about?" Mick asked her quizzically of Josef's strange parting words to her.

"Don't ask," she told him. "Just hold me."

Then the door closed, and they were finally alone.

 

**End**

**Author's Note:**

> Next up in #5: Mick's side of the events of the day.
> 
> To keep in mind while reading: I started writing this series after the episode, "The Ringer." Some of the events in HB will eerily parallel the series by accident (or fate), some I've deliberately re-worked, and others veer off on their own as the two paths diverge. I suppose it could be considered a sort of a/u to Moonlight. I never expected this universe to get so huge, but it definitely took on a life of it's own. 30+ stories and four years later and I'm still writing it...


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